Desert Raider Clans
While there are dozens of clannish groups of raiders which insist on plaguing the Wastes, three in particular have become so infamous for their cruelty, success, and sheer destructive ability that they are feared above and beyond all the rest. The bounties placed upon the heads of these raiders is of such enormity that one could feasibly retire upon collection- presuming that a hunter could successfully claim them all. The first of these clans are the Firesanders, perhaps the most insidious group. Composed entirely of orphaned children who are joined in worship of one of the Lords of the Nine Hells (which is not yet known,) the Firesanders know full well that most people will hesitate to attack them for their youth and so use this to their advantage. Often posing as the helpless, the destitute, and the lucky-to-be-alive, they wait until their victims' guard is down before striking with all the ferocity of a sandstorm, and all the bloodlust of a rabid Orc. Too young to comprehend any sort of limitations that might give an adult cause to hesitate, they commit all manner of horrific and imaginative atrocities upon those they capture alive- save for other children, whom they work to induct into their ranks, or sacrifice to their unholy lord should induction prove impossible. The size of the clan is unknown, as no children older than the age of 14, or an equivalent, has ever been seen- some theorize that perhaps the Firesanders are provided eternal youth by their dark masters in exchange for sacrifices, or that they kill their fellows once they reach a certain age and replenish their ranks through induction of new children. Their youthful bodies are not very powerful, limiting what weaponry they can wield and armor they can wear; but the Firesanders do not achieve victory through individual strength or prowess. It is only through extensive planning and sheer numbers that they are able to overpower their victims. The second is the Akrasians, an older family-oriented clan which has plagued the Wastes since before the end of the Armageddon Wars. Where they came from, no one is certain- not even the Akrasians remember their origins anymore, lacking in effective oral or written history traditions to preserve their legacies. What they do remember, however, is that they are all, always have been, and always will be, family. This is the most critical aspect of the Akrasians, at least in their eyes. As the group consists solely of family, they believe this makes them superior to their competitors and rivals, and because only the supremacy and well-being of the family matters to them, it makes them particularly horrifying to their victims. The family is huge, numbering in the hundreds- sometimes thousands- and relies on raw numbers and brutality to achieve their ends; and whatever's lost can be replenished through mass breeding programs headed by the elders. Most of their victims are fortunate enough that they can expect to die quick, if messily painful, deaths. But sometimes new blood needs to be introduced to keep the family strong, those who resist them to a degree which impresses them can expect to be kept around for breeding stock in chains and pens- an experience that, according to many survivors, is worse than death. The Akrasians' famously poor impulse control leads to all manner of physical abuses and torments which are best left unsaid. Those who manage to survive these abuses until they are no longer of use can expect to enjoy their 'retirement' from the Horde's business by being fattened up so that they might provide one last service to the family by joining them for dinner. Fortunately, the Akrasians are poorly organized and barbaric, and their equipment tends to be whatever they salvage from their victims. They are likely to retreat from foes who are well prepared for their assaults, or inflict too many losses. The family is composed almost entirely of humans and human-based half-breeds. Finally, there is the White Ghost Legion''.'' It is believed that the Legion are the remnants of one of the numerous armies which fought during the Wars, or perhaps the children of a survivalist faction which may have using carefully hidden bunkers to wait for the Wars' end before coming out to rebuild a new civilization based on their survivalist values. In either case, somewhere along the lines the Legion forgot about their history and became one of the most feared raiding groups to plague the Wastes. Unlike their counterparts, the Legion could easily be mistaken for a hostile paramilitary organization. They are well organized, well equipped, well trained, and possess a simple but ruthlessly efficient combat doctrine. They strike without warning, kill whoever they feel they need to, offer any survivors the opportunity to join the Legion, kill those who refuse, and steal every last bit of valuable goods they find necessary, leaving the rest to rot in the Wastes. Their only real weaknesses are their lack of mages and predictable attack patterns, though these are compensated for by their skilled personnel and supposed ability to produce their own goods- they rarely bother with passenger transports, preferring to prey upon caravans carrying materiel for construction and mobile mining operations. But what makes the Legion most dangerous, at least in the eyes of most governing powers, is their openness compared to other raiders. Most raiders can be counted on to suffer from some level of racism, sexism, or other -isms which serve to weaken their overall power. The Legion, on the other hand, cares little for differences of race, gender, or age; all that matters is acceptance of their offer and subservience to Legion commanders. Their ranks are as such very racially and ethnically diverse, which often provides a powerful boost to their periodic 'recruitment drives.' The Legion's name is derived from their white camouflage patterns, which give their soldiers a ghost-like appearance during their night-time and early morning raids. Naruvan Wastes Back to Main Page